Driver claims he was wrongly ticketed when cop mistook McDonald's hash brown for phone
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$300 for a McDonald’s hash brown?
One Connecticut man may have to pay that price. Not to the restaurant chain, but as a fine to the Westport police.
Jason Stiber was pulled over and ticketed for distracted driving last April for using a handheld phone behind the wheel, but he claimed it was a case of mistaken identity and that what he was actually holding was a hash brown.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stiber fought the ticket and lost, but was back in court in Norwalk last week to appeal the ruling.
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"The cop says he saw my client's lips moving — my client's lips were moving because he was chewing on his hash brown," Stiber's lawyer John Thygerson told NBC News. "He's fighting this because he didn't do anything wrong."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Thygerson submitted phone records that showed he wasn’t using the black device at the time of the alleged infraction and pointed out that Steiber’s car is equipped with a handsfree Bluetooth connection.
Steiber also pleaded guilty to a similar charge several years ago that did not involve a tasty breakfast treat, according to The Washington Post.
The judge is expected to issue a ruling on the case by April 5.
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